India Cracks Top 10 - Why the Country Has 'No Room' for Christians

12,000+
CHRISTIANS ATTACKED IN INDIA

What’s happening to Christians in the world's second most populous country and why...

On the afternoon of June 20, 2018, five
Christian women (aged 20 to 35) were beaten and abductedfrom their Christian
school while they performed a street play in the Eastern India state of
Jharkhand. A day after they were released (the attackers threatened to kill
them if they went to the police), the women reported the assault to
authorities. It was soon confirmed that all five women had been gang-raped. The
attack was also allegedly filmed on cell phones.

On January 20, 2018, the body of Pastor
Gideon Periyaswamy in Adaiyalachery (Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu) was
found hungfrom the thatched roof of his house, a week after he complained to police about
opposition from radical Hindus.

These
horrific attacks give us a glimpse into what the 65 million Christians in India
are facing in this land of 1.3 billion people. The country now ranks as the
10th most dangerous country on the 2019 World Watch List–up from No. 11 in 2018
and No. 15 in 2017.

Since
2015, the world’s second-most populous country has risen 11 spots due to
increasing pressure and violence against Christians. Research for Open Doors’
World Watch List shows that in 2018, more than 12,000 Christians were attacked.
But this number is only the tip of the iceberg, researchers say, as increasing
numbers of persecution acts go unreported.

Nevertheless,
India’s World Watch List violence “score” for violence is extreme, rising from
14.4 in 2018 to 15.2 in 2019. More Christians were killed in India than last
year, and the number of churches attacked increased substantially from 34 last
year to 98 this year.

Looking
at the statistics, it’s evident—and undeniable—that Christians in India are and
have been for quite some time the targets of Christian-based torture,
persecution, and oppression at the hands of their fellow countrymen.